Reading books aloud is a traditional activity that people everywhere enjoy. However, it requires that a reader, a listener, and a book be together in the same physical place, which is not always possible. For example, a parent and child might have a regular nightly bedtime story, but the parent may be away on a business trip. Or a child may want to hear a book read by a grandparent who lives elsewhere and cannot participate on demand. Timing can also be a problem. For example, a child might want a story read to him on a long car trip when a parent is busy driving.
Current solutions to these and other problems include reading a book aloud to a listener over the phone or using a videoconferencing system. However, using a telecommunications system to convey a book reading does not begin to approach the experience of an in-person reading since the listener does not have access to a copy of the book being read. The lack of a book can be addressed by having the reader acquire another copy of the book and send it to the listener, or having the listener acquire his or her own copy of the book. Nevertheless, this solution does not allow a book to be read “on demand” if the listener is not presently in possession of the book.
Another current solution includes using an electronic presentation system (e.g., PowerPoint) to display a copy of the book along with an audio and/or video recording of the reader reading the book. To use such a system, however, the reader must scan the pages of the book for use in the presentation. Not only is this a significant inconvenience for the reader, it may violate the copyright protections of the book.
Yet another current solution involves the reader making a video of him- or herself reading a book. Using a video editing system, the reader can then make a composite that includes the video of the reader along with scanned images of the book pages. Again, not only does this require a significant effort by the reader, it may violate the copyright protections of the book.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system that offers a closer equivalent of the book reading experience, including providing representations of the reader's face and voice along with a high quality version of the book itself. In addition, the book reading experience should be available to readers and listeners in different physical locations, and the experience should be available on demand.